Amusement device.



No. 891,793. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908. S E. CHAPMAN & G.'D. GROMLEY. AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPEIGATION FILED SEPT. 6.1907.

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No. 891,793. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908. S. E. CHAPMAN & G. D. CROMLEY.

AMUSEMENT DEVIOEi APPLICATION FILED SEPT.6,1907.

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' PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908. s. E. GHAPMAN-& 0. D. GROMLEY.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. a. 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL E. CHAPMAN, OF OAKLAND, AND CHARLES D. OBOMLEY, OF ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA,

ASSIGNOBS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE ROCKER-SWING COMPANY,

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL E. CHAP- MAN, a resident of Oakland, county of Alameda, and OHARLEs D. ORoMLnY, a resident of Alameda, and State of California, and both citizens of the United States, have invented new and useful Improvements in an Amusement Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the production of a .rocking car or structure for recreation grounds, capable of holding a considerable number of persons, and having imparted to it a rocking-motion by mechanism operated by an engine or motor. The said mechanism being automatic in its operation, is adapted to set the structure in motion and to augment the inertia or momentum to a sufficient degree to overcome the force of gravity and keep the structure in motion as long as desired.

The nature of our said invention and the manner in which we proceed to construct, produce and carry out the same is explained at length in the following description, and afterward pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification the accompanying drawing that forms a part thereof being referred to by figures and letters.

Figure 1 of the said drawing is a side-elevation, with a part broken away to more clearly show the construction. Fig. 2 is an end-elevation with a part broken away to show the inner construction when viewed from the end. Fig. 3 is a side-elevation of the gripping-mechanism, by means of which the rocking-motion is communicated to the car from the continuously traveling cables. Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation of part of the gripping-mechanism. Fig. 5 is an end-elevatlon of the same, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 6 is a diagram of the cable-driving mech-. anlsm.

The structure, or rocking-car, as we have termed it, consists generally of the stationary frame-work A preferably constructed of .wood and iron and properly braced to give the required strength and stiffness; and the movable frame Work B, provided with curved rockers 4, which are arranged and adapted to rest and move on a horizontal track on the stationary frame-work,,at a distance from the ground.

On each side longitudinally of'the stationary frame-work A are arranged stair-cases 2 leading upward from the ground to landing-platforms 3. These platforms are built close up to the sides of the car B, and are placed at proper height to afford safe and convenient access and entrance to the car B at one side from one platform, and a like safe exit from the opposite side of the car by the other platform.

The rails on which the rockers 4 are arranged to rock, are composed of a set of bearing-rails 66 on one side of the longitudinal central well or opening D in the car, and a similar set of rails 6 6 on the opposite side, the two sets being laid parallel and in planes coinciding with the two sets of rockers 44, 4 4" on the car. Guard-rails fixed along the outside and the inside of each track-rail are employed for safety so that each rocker is confined and prevented from moving sidewise off its rail. The two sets of rails and rockers insure the safe and stable position of the car on the stationary frame work at all times, and especially when the car is moving at the greatest rate of motion it is capable of attaining.

The well or space D separating the two sets of rockers and track-rails before mentioned, is of suflicient width to accommodate f the mechanism by which the car B is set in motion from a state of rest and is likewise kept in motion against the tendency of gravity to bring it again to a state of rest. This actuating mechanism contains several novel points, including the feature of automatically throwing itself in and out of action through the variations in the speed or velocity of the car at the periods of reversal in the rocking motion.

The power, or driving-means is derived from two endless traveling cables 2022,

supported by sheaves 19-19 2123 and arranged to travel in the well or space D parallel with the rails and rockers, but one in the opposite direction to the other. Such motion in opposite directions is imparted to the two cables from a stationary motor 7 of any well-known kind, through the arrangement of sheaves and driving-pulleys and belts illustrated in- Fig. 1, and in the detail Fig. 6.

The motor-shaft gives motion to a countershaft by pulleys and a belt 8, and the counter- 1718 transmit their motion to corresponding sheaves 17 18 in the well or space D above the plane of the track; and the sheave last mentioned in turn give motion to the cable-carrying sheaves 1921, on which the cables 2022 run to and return over the sheaves 19 23 at the opposite end of the stationary frame-Work. The arrangement of this cable-driving mechanism is such that, as long as the motor is working, the upper side of cable 20 is continually traveling in one direction fore and aft at the same time that the upper side of cable 22 on the opposite side is traveling in the reverse direction, and at the same rate of speed. Consequently, by temporarily connecting it with the upper side of one moving cable the car B will be rocked in the direction in which the cable is traveling; or, if the car beconnected tothe upper side of the other cable, the rocking motion will take place in the opposite direction. Motion is imparted to tie car, therefore, by alternately gripping, or making connection with one cable and then with the other, and then letting go the cable at the end of the rocking-motion and allowing the car to return by gravity; each cable being seized, or connection made with it, at the moment that the car has reached the end of its movement in one direction and is about to return by gravity.

The means whereby such alternate connecting and disconnecting of the car with the cables are effected, is shown in detail in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

Within the well or space D, and at an elevation above the plane of contact between the rockers and the rails, is placed a girder 29, supported from the stationary-frame below in a horizontal position fore and aft, so that the frame-work of the car whichis astride of it, will clear the sides of the girder.

Upon the semi circular bottom which forms the floor of the car overlying the well or space D, a semi-circular rail 49 is fixed to the car-frame in a plane with and directly over the stationary girder 29. The rail 49 is in cross-section the shape of an inverted T, having side-flanges standing in a plane with the direction of the rocking-motion and clear of the web or support on each side. The bottom of the rail 49, also, clears the topface of the stationary girder 29 below, and

sufflcient space between the rail' and girder is provided for the cross-bar 50 of the cablegripping device, Figs. 4, 5 and 6.

The gripping-device consists of two separate grips, one composed of the jaws 6465 on one side, and the jaws 64 65 on the o posite side of a skeleton truck or carriage, t e frame of which is composed of two sideplates 5152 united by the cross-bar 50 and provided with flanged wheels 53-53 5454 on the top, and others 5555 5656 on the bottom of each plate at the four corners.

Being set at proper distance apart to let in the straight stationary rail 29 and the curved rail 49 between them, the side-plates 5152 are connected to both rails by the flanged wheels which are so mounted on the carriage that the upper wheels 5353 5454 will remain on and travel along the standing flanges of the rail 49 on the car-body, but the lower wheels 5555"", 56'56 will engage and run along the dependingflanges 29 of the fixed rail 29, while the carriage is moved longitudinally in either direction along the fixed rail. As the curvature of the upper rail 49 is concentric with the rockers o the car, it will be seen, that as the carriage is attached by one set of gripping-jaws to one moving cable, it will be drawn along the fixed girder 29 in the same direction in which the cable is traveling, or, by connecting the carriage with the oppositely moving cable by the other set of jaws, the car will be rocked in the opposite direction. In either case the gripper-carriage imparts motion to the car by beingdrawn along the curved rail 49.

The wheels connecting the gri per-carto prevent them from leaving the rails. The gripping-device on the outer face of each side-plate of the carriage consists of two jaws, one of which is suspended by means of links 62-63 pivotally attached to the plate at two points 6263, so as to be always parallel with the line of the cable, and, at the same time movable vertically to a limited extent toward or away from the cable.

The lower gripping-j aw 65 is also movable towards and away from the cable but instead of being attached directly to the sideplate of the carriage, it is mounted on a lifting-lever 66 which is loosely attached to the carriage so as to swing in a plane parallel with the sidelate, and to be movable in a vertical direction to a limited extent.

The lower end of the lever 66 rests loosely on a bench 69 in an open socket 7 O on the side-plate, and is held to a seat thereon by a stiff s ring-bar 71, the foot of the lever being grovi ed with a curved toe 72 that extends elow the plane of the fulcrum-point formed by the bench 69. With such bearing-point for a center, the lever is movable at the upper end in an are parallel with the side-plate,

tion being limited by the curved stirrup, or segment, 73.

The result of this construction is that the two gripping-jaws are caused to take the cable when the foot of the lever 66 is resting on the fulcrum-point 69, and when the cable traveling between the jaws is moving. in the proper direction to bring to a perpendicular the toggles 6263 that carry the upper jaw. The jaws are thus brought together and tightened upon the moving cable, and the gri per-carriage is drawn along the flanged rai s in the'direction of the travel of the cable, until the strain thus thrown upon the lever 66 which carries the lower aw becomes greater than the resistance exerted by the spring-bar 71 against the lower end of the lever 66.

When that point is reached, the foot of the lever will be pulled off the bench 69, and being deprived of that support, the foot of the lever will drop into the recess below the bench, thereby loosening the grip of the jaws upon the cable; but the carriage will continue to move in the same direction with the cable until the rocker reaches the end of its arc and begins to recover its equilibrium. Then, as the reverse motion takes place, the gripping-jaws 64 -65 on the opposite side of the carriage take hold of, and grip the other cable which will be traveling in the same direction as the rocking-car, and the carriage will be drawn along the rails 29-49 in the opposite direction to its previous travel, until the strain exerted on the lever 66 by the cable is sul'liciently strong to overcome the resistance of the spring-bar 72, when the foot of the lever 66 will be pulled from its seat on the bench 69, and the jaws will be separated.

The operation of restoring the lever to position is efiected automatically in a simple manner by mounting a roller 68 loosely on the side of the lever in proper position to en gage and run over a guide-rail 74 having an inclined portion 75 placed at the required point alongside of the stationary rail 29 to present the incline 75 in the path of the roller 68 when the lever occupies its lowest position oil the fulcrum-point.

By contact with this guide-rail the lever is raised to position and its toe is set on the bench 69- and in this setting operation the required angular position is given to the lever by a yielding-stop 76, presented in the path of the upper end of the lever-as seen in Fig. 3-by being fixed on a post 77 standing along side of the stationary-rail 29. This stop 76 is of such character that it will yield when struck by the lever 66 from one direction, but it will present a rigid stop to the lever when the latter is carried past it in the opposite direction.

The lever 66, for example, will pass the stop in the return movement of the grippercarriage after it has released its grip on the cable 20 but when the carriage again changes its direction of travel towards the right, the end of the lever will be arrested by the stop 76 at the same time that the roller 65 is running over the lifting-rail The last named member 74 is capable of a limited movement sidewise to let the roller pass when the carriage returns, previous to the resetting operation. For that purpose the rail is attached to the side of the fixed rail 29 by spring legs or supports 78, yielding in one direction, but holding the rail rigidly when the roller strikes the incline 75 and runs on the elevated portion.

A short post 80 on the lower jaw fitted to play loosely in a socket 81 on the upper jaw serves to keep the jaws in line; the post being of proper length to allow the jaws to separate without pulling the post out of the socket.

The jaws 64 65 and the parts of the gripping-means on the opposite side of the carriage are the same in construction and operation as the mechanism above described, excepting that the jaws and' other parts are oppositely set to those on the other side, so as to act in the required direction to grip the other cable 22, which is continually traveling in the opposite direction to the cable 20.

With the lever 66 set in position on the fulcrum-point 69, it will be seen that the lever carrying the lower aw and the links carrying the upper jaw, together form a toggle which, under the strain of the traveling cable, causes the jaws to take hold and firmly grip the cable. Being connected by that means to the cable 20, the carriage will be drawn along the straight rail 29 in the same direction as the cable is moving, and as the effect upon the curved rail engaged by the upper wheels of the grippercarriage will be to draw the curved rail towards the straight-rail, the car will be rocked in the same direction. That movement will continue until the resistance due to the weight of the car becomes greater than the pulling force exerted by the cable upon the gripping jaws, when the spring-bar 71 will no longer be able to hold the foot of the lever upon the fulcrum-point 69, and it will be pulled off that support, and the lever will drop and the lower jaw will be carried down with it. The effort of the car to return to a state of equilibrium as soon as it has reached the end of the arc of movement and is disconnected from the cable produces a return-movement on the rockers,

and the gripper-carriage moving with the car thereupon'will slide on the cables without taking hold, until the rocking movement becomes less rapid than the cable which is traveling in the same direction as the car. Then, if the setting-lever be in position on its fulcrum, the jaws will take hold of the cable and the power will be connected to the car through the gripped cable, with the effect to act on the car. Operating in this manner alternately and in opposite directions in its travel, the gripping-carriage connects the car first to one continually-traveling cable, and then to'the other, in such manner that sufficient power is applied to the car at the proper periods to produce a rocking motion of uniform quality.

The rocking car B is built preferably with a hemispherical bottom and vertical sides, and with decks at different altitudes, much like the deck of an ocean steamer. The bottom and sides of the structure are inclosed, and are provided with door-openings 31 communicating from the stair-case landings 3 and 3 in the lower compartment or hold; and from the hold, stair ways 32 are provided, leading up to the second floor or deck 33, from which the doors 3435 open on the balconies and the stair-cases 39, leading to i a higher tier of balconies 4041.

Upon the longitudinal ends of the hurri cane deck we mount swings 45 and 46, the pivotal points of which are located at a considerable height above the deck.

In the center of the deck an observationtower 47 affords an elevated look-out. This tower being located directly over the center of motion of the car, will afford a standing place for those who would be unpleasantly affected by the rocking motion at the outer ends where the swings are situated.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An amusement-device comprising a stationary frame-work, a rocking-body thereon, two traveling-cables having continuous movement longitudinally of the stationaryf'rame, and one traveling inthe opposite direction to the other, and cablegripping mechanism on the rocking-body adapted to alternately connect the rocking-body to and disconnect it from the traveling cables at those periods in the movement of the rocking-body when the motion becomes less rapid than that of the cable which is moving in the same direction.

2. In an amusement-device the combination of the supporting frame-work, the rocking-body mounted on rockers thereon, and means for imparting motion to said rockingbody comprising endless traveling cables having movement one in the contrary direction to the other and longitudinally of the supporting frame-work, and gripping-means operating to alternately connect the rockerbody to and disconnect it from that one of the cables which is traveling in the same direction as the rocking-body is rocking.

3. In a structure of the character described, a stationary support, track-rails thereon, the movable structure mounted for rocking motion on the said support, in combination with the continually traveling endless cables moving in op osite directions one to the other longitudinally of the stationarysupport, and the cable -gripping mechanism comprising a fixed rail on the stationary-sudpport having depending flanges, the curve rail on the rocking structure concentric with the rocking motion provided with standing-flanges, and a gripper-carriage having flanged wheels to engage and ride on the flanges of the fixed rail and the movable rail, respectively, two sets of gripping-j aws on the carriage adapted to act on the traveling cables in contrary manner one to the other and only when the gripper-carriage is moving with the rocking-structure in the same direction as the cable, means operating to throw off each gripping-device at the moment when the rocking structure has completed its movement in the direction coinciding with the direction of the travel of the gripped cable, and means for resetting the gripping-V device.

4. In a structure of the character described, the stationary-structure having longitudinally set guiderails, the movable structure mounted thereon for rocking motion, having two sets of rockers, in combination with two endless traveling cables extending longitudinally through the s ace between the said sets of rockers, an having motion imparted to them in contrary directions one to the other, the flanged rail on the stationary structure, the curved rail on the movable structure having standing flanges, and means for connecting the movable structure to and disconnecting it from one or the other of the endless traveling cables according to the direction in which the cable and the movable structure are moving, comprising the gripper carriage having flanged wheels adapted to ride on the flanges of the fixed rail and the curved rail, and oppositely-acting sets of gripping jaws on the said carriage so arranged and o erated that one set of the jaws will take hold of that one cable which is traveling through them in the same direction in which the movable structure is rocked, but the other set of jaws will slide loosely on the remaining ,cable traveling in the opposite direction; and means for alternately setting and throwing off the grippingjaws in the movements of the gripper-carriage.

5. In a structure of the character described, a stationary framework and a rocking car thereon; in combination with two endless traveling cables moving in o posite directions one to the other, a fixed rai on the stationary frame-work, a curved rail on the rocking-car, and cablegripping mechanism for alternately connecting the rocking-car to and disconnecting it from one or the other of the traveling cables according to the direction'in which the rocking-car requires to be rocked to set in motion and maintain rocking motion thereof, comprising the gripper-carriage having side-plates embracing the said fixed andmovable rails, the flanged wheels thereon, and a separate ripping-device on each side-plate so arranged and operated as to take hold of the traveling cable moving through the gripping-device in the same direction in which the rocking-car is moving, but to release the cable when the direction of the car is reversed with relation to the travel of the cable, and means on the stationary structure operating to throw off the grippingdevice and release the cable at the end of the rocking motion.

6. In an amusement device, the combination of a supporting frame, a rocking body mounted therein and supported thereby, a longitudinally movable carriage having engagement respectively with the said supporting frame and the rocking body, and means for imparting to the carriage to and fro movements.

7. In an amusement device, the combination of a stationary track, a body having a curved surface arranged to rock to and fro on said track, a fixed rail extending parallel with the track, a curved rail on the body concentric with the rocking surface thereof, and means between the two rails and movable backward and forward thereon for causin the body to rock.

SAMUEL E. CHAPMAN. CHARLES D. CROMLEY.

WVitnesses:

EDWARD E. OSBORN, PHEBE PIDWELL. 

